The Week That Was

Gerald Potash,

Hello again,

Our municipal elections are scheduled for the 4th of November.

These are the first local government elections where uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) will be contesting.  The ANC, with good cause, is worried, especially in KZN where the ruling party has established a Provincial Task Team —that hasn’t yet met, to answer the downward spiral that the party is facing.  When one remembers that the Communist Party will for the first time also be contesting these elections independent of the ANC, the ruling party could be in for a severe hiding.  Then, voter dissatisfaction with the poor service delivery is even more likely to cause a serious ANC slump.

Tim du Plessis in Rapport makes the point (after talking with Helen Zille) that the DA won’t gain disgruntled ANC voters. He believes that the ANC will loose control of all 6 big city-metros because ANC voters will simply leave the ruling party.

The Citizen newspaper reports that a likely result of these upcoming elections will be the ANC falling bellow 30% in the metros but doing much better in the country towns. 

What is certain is that water shortages, infrastructure collapsing, crime out of hand and councillors not showing care is likely to cost the ruling party dearly.

The Citizen believes that the metros will be run by coalitions as not one party seems strong enough to govern on its own. Cape Town and Johannesburg (if Helen Zille can take it) are likely to be exceptions.

There have been some very interesting results in recent municipal by-elections. In Saldana Bay, in the Langebaan ward (ward 6) support for the DA dropped from 3538 to 1510 votes but they were still able to retain the seat. In Gauteng the ANC dropped from 73% to 57% but still retained that ward.  In Uniondale the DA took the seat from the ANC when the mayor (ANC) crossed the floor to the DA. Interestingly he has not been nominated as mayor for George by the DA.  From results delivered so far it seems that both the Freedom Front Plus (FF+)  and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) are gaining seats at cost to the ANC and the DA.

This cartoon from 2Lani & ubuntoons in News24/ City Press is a very good take on what will drive this election:

After being suspended as a senior official in the Dept of Education for alleged procurement irregularities in respect of a R3.5 million contract for educational motivational speaking,  Matanzima Mwell has now been elevated to Director-General of the National Dept of Basic Education.

Ek sê maar niks. 

Adriaan Basson of News24 calls this a textbook example of ‘ANC cadre deployment’.  You can now better understand why Prof William Gumede writes that the ANC’s political deployment has destroyed our economy.

Frank & Di live in our Estate. I received a communication from them telling about how the government (read ANC) is trying to take over ALL property owned by citizens. Then I got the same “wake-up message” from Basil, also a resident here at Schonenberg.

Ostensibly this idea of the ANC is to protect our survival in their “Draft Capital Flow Management Regulations” which is a 40 page document that will allow them to own everything that you now own.  Including your home and your gold!  And, if passed into law you will have to give them your passwords as well. This is essential, says their draft document to protect SA’s survival in the global financial system.

What rubbish!

ChatGPT was used by our Dept of Communications and Digital Technology to write a report about AI in government. It didn’t take long for certain people to work out the the sources to the document didn’t exist. Embarrassing! The Minister apologised and said he would fire the two “experts” whose job it was to produce the report. (Note:  AI is dangerous!). This has got lots of press this week and the only part of the story that I don’t like is that the Minister, Solly Malatsi is a DA member.

This is Zapiro’s take on the matter from today’s Daily Maverick:

Week after week we read about murders in out poorer areas. On Monday the Chair of the Portfolio Committee for Police, Ian Cameron answered questions in Parliament. His report is scary. In these areas only 7.3% of reported murders are solved. In Nyanga (Cape Flats) and Central Johannesburg less than 2% of reported murder cases are solved. Our police are useless and it is the fault of the ANC. 

In the Financial Mail this week Jannie Rossouw writes that BEE should ride into the sunset. He points out how those 46 preferential cadres have become multi millionaires while their fellow blacks (millions of them) are even poorer now than they were under the Apartheid regime. 

Try and tell that to Cyril, who was off this last weekend to narrow our links with the criminal dictator of Zimbabwe (Rhodesia to you), Emmerson Mnangagwa. They sat for hours talking behind closed doors and there was no official announcement of the trip. Why the secrecey?

Cyril may be in big trouble on Friday. The Constitutional Court is going to deliver its ruling on whether his action of the hidden money on his Phala Phala farm was legal. There could be serious ramifications for his political future. Could we soon have a new President?

This week Ramaphosa signed a petition calling for the release of Marwan Bargouti who was found guilty of murder of civilians and of terrorism. He is serving multiple sentences and they should only come up for review of sentence in 40 years time. Cyril wants his release but so far is the only head of State to have signed the petition.

My notable catch-up this week wasn’t just coffee it was lunch. For some time Tommy & Christine, my neighbours (and also ex-Stellenboschers) have been trying to get a date that suited us both and it was yesterday. Lunch was in Stellenbosch and even the weather, in this early wet winter was lovely.  The hot expresso coffee at the end of the meal came with ice cream in a cup.  I’ve never had an Affogato before.  What can be better than that?

This weekend at the World Relay Championships both our 4X100m and the 4X400m running teams won silver. Our Lythe Pillay ran the fastest split in the 4x400m relay in history.  He broke the long standing Michael Johnson record by running his leg in 42.66 seconds.

For the first time our rugby Junior Boks became champions (well virtually, technically they can be overtaken by the All Blacks if the lose to the New Zealanders by about 60 points on Saturday) and they did it with a match to spare. Our under 20’s are good. Very good and even at this young age they are showing enormous talent.  This is good news for our rugby lovers.

On Sunday Spurs won. I haven’t been able to write that too often this season. What an important win it was away from home against a top ranked Aston Villa side. Spurs now after not having won a single league encounter in the first four months of the year have now won their last three in a row under their new manager.  Can they escape going down to the Championship League? It is beginning to look like it. But, with three games still left in the league it is not certain. Clearly their new manager is making a huge difference……so……..

COYS.

As always,

Gerald